Covered Wagon

[Peppy]

We did a covered wagon tarp for a guy. He's a freshly retired farmer who had a set of wheels and decided to build a wagon. A big one.

hoops

paper

taking off the paper

cutting out

done!





how it went home.

It was a lot if fun. Longest I've ever worked on one pattern. About 10 hours. Was very difficult to pattern from inside. I needed a cherry picker. It was about 40 yards of treated cotton duck. About 50 lbs, way lighter than I thought it'd be. Held on with side release buckles and strapping.

[mike802]

Looks like a real fun project, gives you a prospective of canvas workers back in the day.  They must have had a booming business when everyone started going west.  It must have been a big expense for the pioneers to buy a covered wagon and keep it maintained.

[sofadoc]

It must have been a big expense for the pioneers to buy a covered wagon and keep it maintained.

Especially when those "dadburned injun's" surrounded them and peppered their covered wagon with flaming arrows. :D

And even though there were more than a dozen wagons, they ALWAYS hit the one carrying 40 cases of Nitro Glycerin. ;)

[mike802]

There are two sides to this story and I can relate to both, my ancestors were the ones shooting the arrows, and they were also the ones circling the wagons!

[Mike]

cool project pep I hope he paid well what that ladie using for weights those blue rolls?

[Peppy]

I've joked often in the past that I don't make covered wagons and I don't use cotton duck. I'll shut my mouth.

Yes mike, he payed well. Even happily payed more than the quote! It wasn't much more, but we got payed for all our labour. He's a really nice guy. Doesn't even have a plan for this thing. He just built it for shots and goggles. And those blue rolls are Samson/herculite precut for borders/boxing. We do a lot of pads for a company that makes indoor playgrounds. We have to buy a whole roll cut into donuts so we have lots laying around to use as weights.

[baileyuph]

Good description of the "in process", particular patterning.

Which leads me to ask:  How do you decide what the best patterning medium is for the job at hand?

I am assuming the medium is a function of the intricacies of the pattern?  This question comes up in auto interior patterning, maybe other types of upholstery.

Another way to put the question is how similar in flexibility, etc. was the paper to the heavy cotton duck used for the wagon?  Wouldn't the ideal patterning material be characteristically about the same as the fabrication material?

Teach me something,

Doyle

[Peppy]

Well Doyle, not sure what I can teach you. I just yammer really. If you can find value in my yammering that makes me happy.

My patterning methodology is thus: canvas = paper for patterns, vinyl = dust cloth. You're right that I like to match end material with pattern material. Sunbrella is much like paper when it comes off the roll (as it ages it becomes much more clothy) I've tried using plastic but I find it too unwieldy to pattern with (slippery and hard to see wrinkles) and I don't like all the stretch you can put in the pattern plastic by accident. Also Sunbrella won't stretch at all like the plastic does. Vinyl though has all kinds of stretch and bias movement with out even really trying. That's why I find dust cloth to be a good pattern substrate. It lets you 'cheat' a seam much like you will with the vinyl cover.

I could probably go on all night but I need a beer and have to pee so I'm going to do that.

[Mike]

We have to buy a whole roll cut into donuts so we have lots laying around to use as weights.

that's a good topic weights, ive always wanted to get a bunch of runner coated weights at a sport shop but never do or want to spend the dough . I have a heavy mushroom anchor and a bunch of cut off 2x4 lumber for weights ps you guys have some big fabric rolls hanging around

[Peppy]

We buy remainders from a manufacturer.  We do a lot of furniture. We stock so much because we're about a 2 hour drive from the nearest fabric store.

We have a lot of weights. The rolls of Sampson are the best. We also have a bunch of tobacco tins filled with lead from back when the shop made downrigger balls. We also have some florescent light ballasts covered in tape. I don't like those ones but they are heavy and rectangular which can be handy. I just figured out what they actually were last year after I had to replace some ballasts at the shop. I don't imagine it's very healthy, it's why I use the rolls.